Method of advancing successive sheets of media

ABSTRACT

A method of advancing successive sheets of media by providing a gear and a pick roller configured to rotate independently between a first and a second relative orientation; advancing a first sheet at a first advance speed to an intermediate roller by driving the gear to rotate the pick roller with the gear and the pick roller oriented at the first relative orientation; advancing the first sheet at a greater advance speed by rotating the intermediate roller, thereby orienting the gear and the pick roller in the second relative orientation; advancing the first sheet until the pick roller is in contact with a second sheet; driving the gear while the pick roller remains stationary until the gear and the pick roller are oriented in the first relative orientation; and advancing the second sheet at the first advance speed by driving the gear to rotate the pick roller.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Reference is made to commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. (K000202) filed herewith by Alan Keng Aik Boo, entitled “Pick Roller With Delay Clutch”, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a media advance system, and more particularly to advancing and aligning of print media.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Printers and scanners having an automatic document feeder are two examples of imaging systems in which a media advance system moves successive sheets of media from a media input holder toward a region of the imaging system where imaging is performed, such as printing of an image or scanning of a document. In order to achieve fast throughput, it is desired to avoid long delays between the advancing of successive sheets.

Some imaging systems include a sheet registration mechanism or other mechanism that interrupts the continuous end-to-end feeding of successive sheets of media. For example, commonly assigned US Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0174733, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes an inkjet carriage printer having two selectable modes of media advance—a tailgating mode in which a subsequent sheet immediately follows a previous sheet with no gap in between, and a deskew mode for aligning sheets of media which may otherwise be skewed during media advance. In the tailgating mode all media advance rollers, including a pick roller, a turn roller, a feed roller and an output roller are all continuously rotated in a forward direction. When a sheet of media in the media input holder has been advanced past the pick roller, the pick roller comes into contact with the next sheet of media and immediately begins to advance it. Such a print mode facilitates fast throughput of successive sheets, but is incapable of dynamically aligning sheets which are skewed during media advance. In the deskew mode, the pick roller advances the media to the turn roller, and the turn roller advances the media to the feed roller which is rotated in reverse direction. If a corner of the leading edge of a skewed sheet of media reaches the reversely rotating feed roller prior to the rest of the leading edge, it is temporarily prevented from further advancement, allowing the rest of the leading edge to catch up, thus deskewing the sheet. The feed roller and the output roller (which is geared to always move in the same direction as the feed roller) are then rotated in the forward direction to move the sheet through the print region and into the media output holder. In the deskew mode, power is not applied to the pick roller until after the printing of the entire page has completed. This helps to ensure that media collisions and paper jams will not occur at the feed roller as a previous sheet is moved backward by the output roller and a subsequent sheet is moved forward by the turn roller. However, this results in a significant time delay between the feeding of successive sheets, thereby slowing down printing throughput.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,387 discloses a sheet feed device for a selectable print speed image forming device having a time-delayed pick roller and a sheet registration mechanism. However, in that apparatus, rotation of the pick roller is independently controlled by an electromagnetic clutch, adding to the complexity and cost of the media advance system. U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,954 discloses an automatic document feeder for a scanner including a delay gear between the main gear and the pick roller. The main gear also provides power to a drive roller (which is analogous to a feed roller). A slip clutch on the pick roller shaft prevents the pick roller from rotating in reverse when the drive roller is driven in reverse. Such an apparatus would require that the drive roller (or feed roller) complete its reverse motion before the pick roller could advance the next sheet.

What is needed is a simple, low-cost media advance system and method of operation that can controllably provide a delay between picking of successive sheets of media, such that the delay is long enough to prevent media collisions at the feed roller during a media deskewing operation, and short enough to be consistent with fast throughput of successive sheets.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method of advancing successive sheets of media from a media input holder, the method comprising providing a pick assembly including a gear and a pick roller configured to rotate independently between a first relative orientation and a second relative orientation; advancing a first sheet of media from the media input holder at a first advance speed to an intermediate roller by driving the gear to rotate the pick roller in a forward direction with the gear and the pick roller oriented at the first relative orientation; advancing the first sheet at a second advance speed greater than the first advance speed by rotating the intermediate roller; rotating the pick roller in the forward direction at a first angular velocity while the gear rotates at a second angular velocity that is less than the first angular velocity until the gear and the pick roller are oriented in the second relative orientation; advancing the first sheet until it is out of contact with the pick roller, so that the pick roller is in contact with a second sheet that was previously underlying the first sheet; driving the gear in the forward direction while the pick roller remains substantially stationary until the gear and the pick roller are oriented in the first relative orientation; and advancing the second sheet of media at the first advance speed to the intermediate roller by driving the gear to rotate the pick roller in the forward direction with the gear and the pick roller oriented at the first relative orientation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when taken in conjunction with the following description and drawings wherein identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical features that are common to the figures, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an inkjet printer system;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a printhead;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a carriage printer;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of an exemplary media advance system in a carriage printer;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a pick assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is similar to the view of FIG. 5, but with an arm of the housing of pick assembly hidden;

FIG. 7 is a close-up perspective view of a pick roller and a pick roller gear according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a close up perspective view similar to FIG. 7, but with pick roller gear hidden;

FIG. 9 is a close-up perspective view an opposite side of the pick roller gear of FIG. 7; and

FIGS. 10 to 16 show a sequence of advancements of sheets of media through a media advance system and printer according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic representation of an inkjet printer system 10 is shown, for its usefulness with the present invention and is fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,350,902, and is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Inkjet printer system 10 includes an image data source 12, which provides data signals that are interpreted by a controller 14 as being commands to eject drops. Controller 14 includes an image processing unit 15 for rendering images for printing, and outputs signals to an electrical pulse source 16 of electrical energy pulses that are inputted to an inkjet printhead 100, which includes at least one inkjet printhead die 110.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, there are two nozzle arrays. Nozzles 121 in the first nozzle array 120 have a larger opening area than nozzles 131 in the second nozzle array 130. In this example, each of the two nozzle arrays has two staggered rows of nozzles, each row having a nozzle density of 600 per inch. The effective nozzle density then in each array is 1200 per inch (i.e. d= 1/1200 inch in FIG. 1). If pixels on the recording medium 20 were sequentially numbered along the paper advance direction, the nozzles from one row of an array would print the odd numbered pixels, while the nozzles from the other row of the array would print the even numbered pixels.

In fluid communication with each nozzle array is a corresponding ink delivery pathway. Ink delivery pathway 122 is in fluid communication with the first nozzle array 120, and ink delivery pathway 132 is in fluid communication with the second nozzle array 130. Portions of ink delivery pathways 122 and 132 are shown in FIG. 1 as openings through printhead die substrate 111. One or more inkjet printhead die 110 will be included in inkjet printhead 100, but for greater clarity only one inkjet printhead die 110 is shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, first fluid source 18 supplies ink to first nozzle array 120 via ink delivery pathway 122, and second fluid source 19 supplies ink to second nozzle array 130 via ink delivery pathway 132. Although distinct fluid sources 18 and 19 are shown, in some applications it may be beneficial to have a single fluid source supplying ink to both the first nozzle array 120 and the second nozzle array 130 via ink delivery pathways 122 and 132 respectively. Also, in some embodiments, fewer than two or more than two nozzle arrays can be included on printhead die 110. In some embodiments, all nozzles on inkjet printhead die 110 can be the same size, rather than having multiple sized nozzles on inkjet printhead die 110.

Not shown in FIG. 1, are the drop forming mechanisms associated with the nozzles. Drop forming mechanisms can be of a variety of types, some of which include a heating element to vaporize a portion of ink and thereby cause ejection of a droplet, or a piezoelectric transducer to constrict the volume of a fluid chamber and thereby cause ejection, or an actuator which is made to move (for example, by heating a bi-layer element) and thereby cause ejection. In any case, electrical pulses from electrical pulse source 16 are sent to the various drop ejectors according to the desired deposition pattern. In the example of FIG. 1, droplets 181 ejected from the first nozzle array 120 are larger than droplets 182 ejected from the second nozzle array 130, due to the larger nozzle opening area. Typically other aspects of the drop forming mechanisms (not shown) associated respectively with nozzle arrays 120 and 130 are also sized differently in order to optimize the drop ejection process for the different sized drops. During operation, droplets of ink are deposited on a recording medium 20.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a portion of a printhead 250, which is an example of an inkjet printhead 100. Printhead 250 includes three printhead die 251 (similar to printhead die 110 in FIG. 1), each printhead die 251 containing two nozzle arrays 253, so that printhead 250 contains six nozzle arrays 253 altogether. The six nozzle arrays 253 in this example can each be connected to separate ink sources (not shown in FIG. 2); such as cyan, magenta, yellow, text black, photo black, and a colorless protective printing fluid. Each of the six nozzle arrays 253 is disposed along nozzle array direction 254, and the length of each nozzle array along the nozzle array direction 254 is typically on the order of 1 inch or less. Typical lengths of recording media are 6 inches for photographic prints (4 inches by 6 inches) or 11 inches for paper (8.5 by 11 inches). Thus, in order to print a full image, a number of swaths are successively printed while moving printhead 250 across the recording medium 20. Following the printing of a swath, the recording medium 20 is advanced along a media advance direction that is substantially parallel to nozzle array direction 254.

Also shown in FIG. 2 is a flex circuit 257 to which the printhead die 251 are electrically interconnected, for example, by wire bonding or TAB bonding. The interconnections are covered by an encapsulant 256 to protect them. Flex circuit 257 bends around the side of printhead 250 and connects to connector board 258. When printhead 250 is mounted into the carriage 200 (see FIG. 3), connector board 258 is electrically connected to a connector (not shown) on the carriage 200, so that electrical signals can be transmitted to the printhead die 251.

FIG. 3 shows a portion of a desktop carriage printer. Some of the parts of the printer have been hidden in the view shown in FIG. 3 so that other parts can be more clearly seen. Printer chassis 300 has a print region 303 across which carriage 200 is moved back and forth in carriage scan direction 305 along the X axis, between the right side 306 and the left side 307 of printer chassis 300, while drops are ejected from printhead die 251 (not shown in FIG. 3) on printhead 250 that is mounted on carriage 200. Carriage motor 380 moves belt 384 to move carriage 200 along carriage guide rail 382. An encoder sensor (not shown) is mounted on carriage 200 and indicates carriage location relative to an encoder fence 383.

Printhead 250 is mounted in carriage 200, and multi-chamber ink supply 262 and single-chamber ink supply 264 are mounted in the printhead 250. The mounting orientation of printhead 250 is rotated relative to the view in FIG. 2, so that the printhead die 251 are located at the bottom side of printhead 250, the droplets of ink being ejected downward onto the recording medium in print region 303 in the view of FIG. 3. Multi-chamber ink supply 262, in this example, contains five ink sources: cyan, magenta, yellow, photo black, and colorless protective fluid; while single-chamber ink supply 264 contains the ink source for text black. Paper or other recording medium (sometimes generically referred to as paper or media herein) is loaded along paper load entry direction 302 toward the front of printer chassis 308.

A variety of rollers are included in a media advance system used to advance the medium through the printer as shown schematically in the side view of FIG. 4. In this example, a pick roller 320 is rotated in forward rotation direction 313 to move the top piece or first sheet 371 relative to a second sheet 372 of a stack 370 of paper or other recording medium from a media input holder 375 in the direction of the arrow identified with paper load entry direction 302. A turn roller 335 (also generically called an intermediate roller sometimes herein) is also rotated in forward rotation direction 313 and acts to turn the paper around a C-shaped path (in cooperation with a curved rear wall surface and an idle roller 336) so that the paper continues to advance along media advance direction 304 from the rear 309 of the printer chassis (with reference also to FIG. 3). A media edge sensor 316 located near feed roller 312 and between turn roller 335 and feed roller 312 detects the presence of the paper as it approaches feed roller 312. The paper can be deskewed by temporarily rotating feed roller 312 in reverse while turn roller 335 continues to rotate in forward direction 313. If a corner of the leading edge of a skewed sheet of media reaches the reversely rotating feed roller 312 prior to the rest of the leading edge, it is temporarily prevented from further advancement, allowing the rest of the leading edge to catch up, thus deskewing the sheet. The rotation direction of media advance motor 315 is then changed so that feed roller 312 and output roller 337 rotate in the forward rotation direction 313 (where feed roller 312 is located on a portion of the media path that is between turn roller 335 and output roller 337). The paper is then moved by feed roller 312 and idler roller(s) 331 to advance along the Y axis across print region 303 below carriage 200 and printhead 250, and from there to an output roller 337 and star wheel(s) 339 so that printed paper exits along media advance direction 304. Feed roller 312 includes a feed roller shaft along its axis, and feed roller gear 311 is mounted on the feed roller shaft. Feed roller 312 can include a separate roller mounted on the feed roller shaft, or can include a thin high friction coating on the feed roller shaft. A rotary encoder (not shown) can be coaxially mounted on the feed roller shaft in order to monitor the angular rotation of the feed roller.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, media advance motor 315 provides power for rotating the pick roller 320, the turn roller 335, the feed roller 311, and the output roller 337. Drive gear 314 (driven by media advance motor 315) is meshed directly with both feed roller gear 311 and output roller gear 338, so that feed roller 312 and output roller 337 are always rotated in the same direction as each other. Rotational power is transferred to pick roller 320 through pick roller power train 334, and to turn roller 335 through turn roller power train 332. Turn roller power train 332 is shown schematically in FIG. 4 as being connected directly to feed roller gear 311, and pick roller power train 334 is shown as branching off from turn roller power train 332. In some embodiments turn roller power train 332 is connected to a gear mounted on the opposite end of the feed roller shaft as the feed roller gear 311. Typically pick roller power train 334 and turn roller power train 332 include a plurality of gears having gear ratios respectively that cause the pick roller 320 and the turn roller 335 to rotate at predetermined angular velocities relative to each other. For example, turn roller 335 is typically rotated at a higher angular velocity than pick roller 320, so that even though pick roller 320 has a larger diameter than turn roller 335, the surface speed of turn roller 335 is higher than the surface speed of pick roller 320. In some embodiments a pair of gears on a rocker arm (not shown) is provided in the turn roller power train 332 such that no matter whether drive gear 314 is rotated in forward rotation direction 313 or in reverse rotation direction (opposite forward rotation direction 313) by media advance motor 315, pick roller 320 and turn roller 335 can only rotate in the forward rotation direction 313 when power is transmitted to them. In such embodiments, when drive gear 314 is rotated in a first direction, one member of the pair of gears on the rocker arm engages a set of gears including an even number of gears, and when drive gear is rotated in the opposite direction, the other member of the pair of gears engages a set of gears including an odd number of gears.

The motor that powers the media advance rollers is not shown in FIG. 3, but the hole 310 at the right side of the printer chassis 306 is where the drive gear 314 from media advance motor 315 (FIG. 4) protrudes through in order to engage feed roller gear 311, as well as the gear 338 for the output roller 337. Toward the left side of the printer chassis 307, in the example of FIG. 3, is the maintenance station 330.

Toward the rear of the printer chassis 309, in this example, is located the electronics board 390, which includes cable connectors 392 for communicating via cables (not shown) to the printhead carriage 200 and from there to the printhead 250. Also on the electronics board are typically mounted motor controllers for the carriage motor 380 and for the media advance motor 315, a processor and/or other control electronics (shown schematically as controller 14 and image processing unit 15 in FIG. 1) for controlling the printing process, and an optional connector for a cable to a host computer.

Embodiments of the present invention include a delay mechanism built into the pick roller 320 and a gear that drives the pick roller 320. FIG. 5 shows a pick assembly 340 used in an embodiment, the pick assembly including a power transfer gear 341 that receives rotational power from turn roller power train 332 (FIG. 4). Pick assembly 340 also includes a housing 342 having two arms 343 a and 343 b. Each of the arms 343 a and 343 b includes an inner surface 344 that faces toward pick roller 320. Between the two arms 343 a and 343 b, the pick roller 320 and a pick roller gear 350 are coaxially mounted on axle 352 of pick roller 320, axle 352 being rotatably held between arm 343 a and arm 343 b. A plurality of gears 345 transmit power from the power transfer gear 341 to the pick roller gear 350. Pick roller power train 334 (FIG. 4) in this embodiment includes power transfer gear 341, gears 345 and pick roller gear 350. Further details are seen in FIG. 6, where arm 343 a of housing 342 is hidden from view. Pick roller gear 350 includes a first side 353 that faces pick roller 320 and a second side 354 that faces toward the inner surface 344 of arm 343 a. A rubber sleeve 327 is mounted on a hub 328 (FIG. 7) of pick roller 320 to provide a high friction surface for advancing sheets of media.

FIG. 7 shows a close-up view of pick roller 320 and pick roller gear 350. Pick roller 320 includes a face 321 that is adjacent first side 353 of pick roller gear 350. FIG. 8 shows a close-up view of pick roller 320 but with pick roller gear 350 hidden from view in order to show additional details. In particular, face 321 of pick roller 320 includes an arc-shaped groove 322 having a forward end 323 and a rear end 324. Forward direction of rotation 313 of pick roller 320 is also indicated. In addition, a spring 325 is mounted on axle 352 of pick roller 320. The assembly of pick roller 320, pick roller gear 350 and spring 325 is collectively termed a pick roller with delay clutch. With reference also to FIGS. 5-7, the function of spring 325 is to push pick roller gear 350 such that first side 353 of pick roller gear 350 is biased to be out of contact with face 321 of pick roller 320, and such that second side 354 of pick roller gear 350 is biased to be in contact with inner surface 344 of arm 343 a. In that way, friction between inner surface 344 of arm 343 a can provide drag on pick roller gear 350. Because pick roller gear 350 is rotatably mounted on axle 352 of pick roller 320, pick roller gear 350 and pick roller 320 can rotate independently of each other over a range corresponding to arc-shaped groove 322, as described in further detail below.

FIG. 9 shows a close-up view of pick roller gear 350 together with spring 325, the orientation of the view showing details of first side 353 of pick roller gear 350. A projection 355 extends outwardly from first side 353 of pick roller gear 350. When pick roller gear 350 is assembled onto axle 352 of pick roller 320 as in FIGS. 5 to 7, projection 355 extends into arc-shaped groove 322 (FIG. 8) in face 321 of pick roller 320. Pick roller gear 350 is configured to rotate pick roller 320 in forward direction 313 (FIG. 8) when projection 355 of pick roller gear 350 contacts the forward end 323 of arc-shaped groove 322. However, when projection 355 is not in contact with forward end 323 of are shaped groove 322, then rotating pick roller gear 350 in the forward direction 313 will not cause pick roller 320 to begin rotating until projection 355 has been rotated to be in contact with forward end 323 of arc-shaped groove 322. As described in further detail below, the surface speed of turn roller 335 is faster than the surface speed of pick roller 320 when driven by their respective power trains 332 and 334, so that as a first sheet of media is being advanced by turn roller 335 but still in contact with pick roller 320, that sheet of media pulls pick roller 320 to rotate in forward rotation direction 313 with an angular velocity faster than the angular velocity that pick roller gear 350 is being rotated by pick roller power train 334. As a result, arc-shaped groove 322 rotates faster than projection 355, so that projection 355 moves relatively to arc-shaped groove 322 away from forward end 323 and toward rear end 324. As a result, after first sheet of media has been advanced by turn roller 335 so that it is no longer in contact with pick roller 320, pick roller gear 350 needs to rotate in forward rotation direction 313 until projection 355 contacts forward end 323 of arc-shaped groove before pick roller 320 is driven to begin rotating again to advance a second sheet of media from media input holder 375. In other words, pick roller 320 and turn roller 335 are configured to provide a delay between a first sheet of media being advanced out of contact with pick roller 320 and advancement of a second sheet of media from media input holder 375.

Having described the significant structural aspects of the media advance system, a context has been provided for describing methods of operation. FIG. 10 shows a schematic view of the media advance system shown in FIG. 4, but at an earlier time, when first sheet 371 has been advanced by pick roller 320 but has not yet reached turn roller 335. During this time pick roller power train 334 drives pick roller gear 350 to rotate at an angular velocity ω_(g). Since pick roller gear 350 and pick roller 320 are oriented at a first relative orientation in which projection 355 (FIG. 9) of pick roller gear 350 is contacting forward end 323 of arc-shaped groove 322 in face 321 of pick roller 320 (FIG. 8), pick roller 320 is also rotated at angular velocity ω_(g). The surface speed of pick roller 320 is ω_(g)d_(p), where d_(p) is the diameter of pick roller 320 including sleeve 327 that is mounted on hub 328 (FIGS. 6 and 7). Assuming no slippage between the surface of pick roller 320 and first sheet 371, during this time before first sheet 371 reaches turn roller 335, first sheet 371 is being advanced at a first advance speed equal to ω_(g)d_(p).

FIG. 11 shows a schematic view of the media advance system of FIG. 10, but at a subsequent time when the lead edge of first sheet 371 has advanced past turn roller 335, but a portion of first sheet 371 is still in contact with pick roller 320. It is at this stage when projection 355 is moved relative to arc-shaped groove 322 toward rear end 324, thereby providing a delay in advancing second sheet 372 as will be described in further detail below. In particular, turn roller power train 332 drives turn roller 335 (also called an intermediate roller 335) to rotate at an angular velocity ω_(i) and a surface speed equal to ω_(i)d_(i), where d_(i) is the diameter of the intermediate roller 335. Surface speed ω_(i)d_(i) of intermediate roller 335 is greater than the surface speed ω_(g)d_(p) of pick roller 320 during the time shown in FIG. 10. Assuming no slippage at intermediate roller 335, first sheet of media 371 is being advanced at a second advance speed cod which is greater than the first advance speed during the time shown in FIG. 11. Since the pick roller 320 is configured to be rotatable with respect to pick roller gear 350 over a range of angles, pick roller 320 will be pulled by first sheet 371 to rotate at a second angular velocity equal to the second advance speed divided by the diameter of pick roller 320, i.e. at a second angular velocity equal to ω_(i)d_(i)/d_(p). Gear ratios in pick roller power train 334 and turn roller power train 332 such that this second angular velocity is greater than the first angular velocity ω_(g) at which pick roller 320 rotates when being driven by pick roller gear 350. As pick roller 320 rotates with second angular velocity ω_(i)d_(i)/d_(p), and pick roller gear 350 (being hindered from rotating at the second angular velocity due to frictional drag between surface 344 of arm 343 a and second side 354 of pick roller gear 350) rotates with first angular velocity ω_(g), the relative orientation of pick roller gear 350 and pick roller 320 changes to a second relative orientation where projection 355 is not in contact with forward end 323 of arc-shaped groove 322 (FIG. 8). Assuming first sheet 371 is sufficiently long, simultaneous contact is maintained between first sheet 371 and both pick roller 320 and turn roller 335 for a sufficient length of time, such that pick roller 320 and pick roller gear 350 are oriented in a second relative orientation in which projection 355 is in contact with rear end 324 of arc-shaped groove 322.

FIG. 12 shows a schematic view of the media advance system of FIG. 11, but at a subsequent time when first sheet 371 has been advanced completely out of contact with pick roller 320. Pick roller 320 is now in contact with second sheet 372 that was previously underlying first sheet 371. Pick roller drive train 334 continues to drive pick roller gear 350 in forward rotation direction 313 at angular velocity ω_(g), but until projection 355 is rotated to be in contact with first end 323 of arc shaped groove 322 (FIG. 8) in the first relative orientation of pick roller 320 and pick roller gear 350, pick roller 320 remains substantially stationary. Since second sheet 372 is not being advanced during this time, a first gap distance g₁ is provided between a trail edge 373 (see FIG. 14) of the first sheet 371 and a lead edge 374 (see FIG. 14) of second sheet 372, as shown in FIG. 13. During the time τ₁ between FIG. 12 when trail edge 373 of first sheet 371 leaves contact with pick roller 320 and FIG. 13 when pick roller 320 begins to rotate again, trail edge 373 has been advanced by turn roller 335 by a distance ω_(i)d_(i)τ_(i)/2. Time τ₁ is the time it takes the projection 355 on pick roller gear 350 to move from rear end 324 to forward end 323 of arc-shaped groove 322. If θ is the angle in degrees between the first relative orientation when the forward edge of projection 355 is in contact with forward end 323 and the second relative orientation when the rear edge of projection 355 is in contact with rear end 324 of arc-shaped groove 322, then

τ₁=(2πθ/360ω_(g))   1),

so that the distance trail edge 373 of first sheet 371 has been advanced is ω_(i)d_(i)τθ/360ω_(g). Since lead edge 374 of second sheet 372 extends a distance s beyond the point of contact with pick roller 320, first gap distance g₁ is given by

g ₁=(ω_(i)d_(i)πθ/360ω_(g))−s   2).

FIG. 14 shows the media advance system of FIG. 13, but at a subsequent time when a lead edge of first sheet 371 has tripped the media edge sensor 316 (i.e. the media edge sensor 316 has detected first sheet 371 before first sheet 371 reaches feed roller 312) and the media advance motor 315 has begun rotating feed roller 312 and output roller 337 in reverse rotation direction 317. Turn roller 335 continues to rotate in forward rotation direction 313, so that first sheet 371 becomes deskewed to align the lead edge of first sheet 371. Meanwhile, trail edge 373 of first sheet 371 continues to advance at a speed ω_(i)d_(i)/2, and lead edge 374 of second sheet 372 advances at a slower speed ω_(g)d_(p)/2, so that the gap between trail edge 373 of first sheet 371 and the lead edge of second sheet 372 increases by a second gap distance g₂. If the distance along the media path between the initial position (as shown in FIG. 13) of lead edge 374 of second sheet 372 and turn roller 335 is S, then the time required for lead edge 374 of second sheet 372 to reach turn roller 335 is given by

τ₂=2S/ω _(g) d _(p)   3).

During τ₂, trail edge 373 of first sheet 371 advances ω_(i)d_(i)τ₂/2=ω_(i)d_(i)S/ω_(g)d_(p). Therefore second gap distance g₂ is given by

g ₂=(ω_(i) d _(i) S/ω _(g) d _(p))−S   4).

The total gap distance is given by

g ₁ +g ₂=(ω_(i) d _(i)τθ/360ω_(g))−s+(ω_(i) d _(i) S/ω _(g) d _(p))−S   5).

FIG. 15 shows the media advance system of FIG. 14, but at a subsequent time when media advance motor 315 causes feed roller 312 and output roller 337 to rotate in forward rotation direction 313. In an inkjet printer, it is during this time that printhead 250 prints on first sheet 371 as carriage 200 moves printhead 250 across print region 303. The printed image is formed swath by swath on first sheet 371 as advances of first sheet 371 by feed roller 312 are alternated with printing passes of carriage 200 and printhead 250.

FIG. 16 shows the media advance system of FIG. 15, but at a subsequent time when first sheet 371 has been advanced by output roller 337 and feed roller 312 rotating in forward direction 313 (as in FIG. 15) such that trail edge 373 is beyond output roller 337. In addition, second sheet 372 has been advanced to the feed roller 312 after tripping media edge sensor 316 so that media advance motor 315 causes output roller 337 and feed roller 312 to rotate in reverse direction 317 in order to deskew second sheet 372. It is not required that trail edge 373 of first sheet 371 be advanced beyond output roller 337 when output roller 337 and feed roller 312 begin to rotate in reverse rotation direction 317 to deskew second sheet 372. However, in order to avoid collisions (and possible paper jams) between trail edge 373 of first sheet 371 and lead edge 374 of second sheet 372, the total gap between trail edge 373 of first sheet 371 and lead edge 374 of second sheet 372 should be sufficiently large that the step of rotating the output roller 337 and the feed roller 312 in the reverse rotation direction 317 does not cause the trail edge 373 of first sheet 371 to back up into feed roller 312 before the deskewing of second sheet 372 is completed and media advance motor 315 causes feed roller 312 and output roller 337 to again rotate in the forward rotation direction. In the example of FIG. 16, the print job ends after the printing of second sheet 372, so that rotational power is no longer applied to pick roller 320 and third sheet 376 is not advanced at this time. Subsequent to the view shown in FIG. 16, second sheet 372 is advanced into print region 303 by feed roller 312 rotating in forward rotation direction 313, and printing on second sheet is performed as described previously for first sheet 371.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, embodiments relating to an inkjet carriage printer having a C-shaped paper path were described, but the invention can also be used with other types of imaging systems and other shapes of paper paths. For cases where the paper path is not C-shaped and it is not required to turn the paper over between the media input holder and the print region using a turn roller 335, there can still be an intermediate roller 335 that receives a sheet of media from the pick roller 320 and advances the sheet further along a media advance path.

PARTS LIST

-   10 Inkjet printer system -   12 Image data source -   14 Controller -   15 Image processing unit -   16 Electrical pulse source -   18 First fluid source -   19 Second fluid source -   20 Recording medium -   100 Inkjet printhead -   110 Inkjet printhead die -   111 Substrate -   120 First nozzle array -   121 Nozzle(s) -   122 Ink delivery pathway (for first nozzle array) -   130 Second nozzle array -   131 Nozzle(s) -   132 Ink delivery pathway (for second nozzle array) -   181 Droplet(s) (ejected from first nozzle array) -   182 Droplet(s) (ejected from second nozzle array) -   200 Carriage -   250 Printhead -   251 Printhead die -   253 Nozzle array -   254 Nozzle array direction -   256 Encapsulant -   257 Flex circuit -   258 Connector board -   262 Multi-chamber ink supply -   264 Single-chamber ink supply -   300 Printer chassis -   302 Paper load entry direction -   303 Print region -   304 Media advance direction -   305 Carriage scan direction -   306 Right side of printer chassis -   307 Left side of printer chassis -   308 Front of printer chassis -   309 Rear of printer chassis -   310 Hole (for media advance motor drive gear) -   311 Feed roller gear -   312 Feed roller -   313 Forward rotation direction -   314 Drive gear -   315 Media advance motor -   316 Media edge sensor -   317 Reverse rotation direction -   320 Pick roller -   321 Face (of pick roller) -   322 Arc-shaped groove -   323 Forward end (of arc-shaped groove) -   324 Rear end (of arc-shaped groove) -   325 Spring -   327 Sleeve -   328 Hub -   330 Maintenance station -   331 Idle roller -   332 Turn roller power train -   334 Pick roller power train -   335 Turn roller (or intermediate roller) -   336 Idle roller -   337 Output roller -   338 Output roller gear -   339 Star wheel(s) -   340 Pick assembly -   341 Power transfer gear -   342 Housing -   343 Arm(s) -   344 Surface (of arm) -   345 Gears -   350 Pick roller gear -   352 Axle -   353 First side (of pick roller gear) -   354 Second side (of pick roller gear) -   355 Projection (of pick roller gear) -   370 Stack of media -   371 First sheet of medium -   372 Second sheet of medium -   373 Trail edge -   374 Lead edge -   375 Media input holder -   376 Third sheet of medium -   380 Carriage motor -   382 Carriage guide rail -   383 Encoder fence -   384 Belt -   390 Printer electronics board -   392 Cable connectors 

1. A method of advancing successive sheets of media from a media input holder, the method comprising: providing a pick assembly including a gear and a pick roller configured to rotate independently between a first relative orientation and a second relative orientation; advancing a first sheet of media from the media input holder at a first advance speed to an intermediate roller by driving the gear to rotate the pick roller in a forward direction with the gear and the pick roller oriented at the first relative orientation; advancing the first sheet at a second advance speed greater than the first advance speed by rotating the intermediate roller; rotating the pick roller in the forward direction at a first angular velocity while the gear rotates at a second angular velocity that is less than the first angular velocity until the gear and the pick roller are oriented in the second relative orientation; advancing the first sheet until it is out of contact with the pick roller, so that the pick roller is in contact with a second sheet that was previously underlying the first sheet; driving the gear in the forward direction while the pick roller remains substantially stationary until the gear and the pick roller are oriented in the first relative orientation; and advancing the second sheet of media at the first advance speed to the intermediate roller by driving the gear to rotate the pick roller in the forward direction with the gear and the pick roller oriented at the first relative orientation.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of driving the gear in the forward direction while the pick roller remains substantially stationary further comprises providing a first gap distance between a trail edge of the first sheet of media and a lead edge of a second sheet of media.
 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of advancing the second sheet of media at the first advance speed to the intermediate roller while the intermediate roller advances the first sheet at a greater advance speed increases the gap between the trail edge of the first sheet of media and the lead edge of the second sheet of media by a second gap distance.
 4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising: advancing the first sheet of media to a feed roller; and rotating the feed roller in a reverse direction while the intermediate roller rotates in the forward direction in order to align a lead edge of the first sheet of media.
 5. The method according to claim 4 further comprising detecting a lead edge of the first sheet of media before the first sheet of media reaches the feed roller.
 6. The method according to claim 4 further comprising rotating the feed roller in a forward direction to advance the aligned first sheet of media.
 7. The method according to claim 4, the gearing of the feed roller and an output roller being configured such that the output roller and the feed roller rotate in the same direction.
 8. The method according to claim 7 further comprising: advancing the first sheet of media to the output roller; rotating the output roller and the feed roller in the forward direction; advancing the second sheet of media to the feed roller; rotating the output roller and the feed roller in the reverse direction; and again rotating the output roller and the feed roller in the forward direction, wherein the steps of providing the first gap distance and increasing the gap by a second gap distance further comprise providing a sufficiently large gap between the trail edge of the first sheet and the lead edge of the second sheet that the step of rotating the output roller and the feed roller in the reverse direction does not cause the trail edge of the first sheet to reach the reversely rotating feed roller before changing the rotation direction of the output roller and the feed roller to the forward direction.
 9. The method according to claim 2, the intermediate roller rotating at an angular velocity of ω_(i);, the pick roller gear being driven at an angular velocity of ω_(g), the angle between the first relative orientation and the second relative orientation being θ, and a diameter of the intermediate roller being d_(i), wherein the first gap distance is substantially equal to (ω_(i)d_(i)πθ/360ω_(g))−s, where s is a distance that the lead edge of the second sheet extends past a point of contact with the pick roller.
 10. The method according to claim 9, a distance between the lead edge of the second sheet to the intermediate roller being S, the diameter of the pick roller being d_(p) and the diameter of the intermediate roller being d_(i), wherein the gap between the trail edge of the first sheet of media and the lead edge of a second sheet of media is increased by a second gap distance that is substantially equal to (ω_(i)d_(i)S/ω_(g)d_(p))−S.
 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein a total gap distance provided between the trail edge of the first sheet and the lead edge of the second sheet is substantially equal to (ω_(i)d_(i)πθ/360ω_(g))−s+(ω_(i)d_(i)S/ω_(g)d_(p))−S.
 12. A method of advancing, aligning and printing on successive sheets of media, the method comprising: providing a pick assembly including a gear and a pick roller configured to rotate independently between a first relative orientation and a second relative orientation; advancing a first sheet of media from the media input holder at a first advance speed to an intermediate roller by driving the gear to rotate the pick roller in a forward direction with the gear and the pick roller oriented at the first relative orientation; advancing the first sheet at a second advance speed greater than the first advance speed by rotating the intermediate roller; rotating the pick roller in the forward direction at a first angular velocity while the gear rotates at a second angular velocity that is less than the first angular velocity until the gear and the pick roller are oriented in the second relative orientation; driving the gear in the forward direction while the pick roller remains substantially stationary, when the pick roller contacts a second sheet of media previously underlying the first sheet of media, until the gear and the pick roller are oriented in the first relative orientation; advancing the first sheet of media to a feed roller; rotating the feed roller in a reverse direction while the intermediate roller rotates in the forward direction in order to align a lead edge of the first sheet of media; rotating the feed roller in a forward direction to advance the aligned first sheet of media to a print region; printing on the aligned first sheet of media; advancing the second sheet of media at the first advance speed to the intermediate roller by driving the gear to rotate the pick roller in a forward direction with the gear and the pick roller oriented at the first relative orientation; advancing the second sheet of media to the feed roller; rotating the feed roller in a reverse direction while the intermediate roller rotates in the forward direction in order to align a lead edge of the second sheet of media; rotating the feed roller in a forward direction to advance the aligned second sheet of media to a print region; and printing on the aligned second sheet of media.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of driving the gear in the forward direction while the pick roller remains substantially stationary further comprises providing a first gap distance between a trail edge of the first sheet of media and a lead edge of a second sheet of media.
 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of advancing the second sheet of media at the first advance speed to the intermediate roller while the intermediate roller advances the first sheet at a greater advance speed increases the gap between the trail edge of the first sheet of media and the lead edge of the second sheet of media by a second gap distance.
 15. The method according to claim 14, the gearing of the feed roller and an output roller being configured such that the output roller and the feed roller rotate in the same direction.
 16. The method according to claim 15 further comprising advancing the first sheet of media to the output roller, wherein the steps of providing the first gap distance and increasing the gap by a second gap distance further comprise providing a sufficiently large gap between the trail edge of the first sheet and the lead edge of the second sheet that the step of rotating the output roller and the feed roller in the reverse direction does not cause the trail edge of the second sheet to reach the reversely rotating feed roller before changing the rotation direction of the output roller and the feed roller to the forward direction.
 17. The method according to claim 12 further comprising detecting a lead edge of the first sheet of media before the first sheet of media reaches the feed roller. 